Aventure Malgache (1944)

"Aventure malgache" is a French documentary drama from over 70 years ago and the only reason it is somewhat known today is because of its director. Alfred Hitchcock shot this film during World War II and it's one of his very few French movies, so make sure you catch a set of subtitles when watching this. I have seen some Hitch, not even close to most of his works, but I thought there was nothing memorable about this one here. It's black-and-white and runs for slightly over half an hour. It can be a decent watch with people in a great interest in French history, resistance, etc. but I found none of the drama really that well done in here and I am actually glad to see that Hitchcock did not stretch this to a full feature drama film. Certainly one of his weakest projects, which is slightly disappointing as he made some of his classics already before this one, even if his great successes followed a bit later. With the exception of Paul Bonifas, the cast is not known at all either, many of them never appeared in film again. Not a good watch, not recommended.

May contain spoiler- I don't see one, you might. This movie was commissioned to boost the exploits of the résistants after France was liberated- a political move on the part of DeGaulle's government in exile. It is well made, acted, and directed- the only fault on Hitchcock's part I mention below. The story moves at a steady pace and the actors and actions are entirely believable, whether or not the whole story is true.The only problem I had was with the end. Those actions should have taken a larger part of the movie and involved more characters. This movie was not released because it shows how the French were divided on what course of action to take in the many aspects of their lives. Unity was the goal audiences were to come away with- Aventure failed in that aspect.There is no reason to not see this movie if you have a chance- it won't come around again soon. I admit I didn't appreciate the wonderful ending until the next day.I am biased toward this film because I am fascinated by the ambiguity of life in WW2.

In wartime with such a shortage of resources, short films made in the French language in Britain in 1944 were undoubtedly made for very distinct purposes. In this situation Hitchcock evidently put his talents entirely at the disposal of the powers that be but, in the absence of concrete information, we can only guess what those purposes were.In common with "Bon Voyage" - the other of the two films Hitch shot in the French language during the war - the intended audience was Vichy France and the Vichy controlled French colonies (the film is set in Madagascar). Overall they were propaganda films, intended for the French resistance. Each is to some extent instructional particularly warning of pitfalls resistance members could fall into. Here the main character is imprisoned by the Vichy authorities and finds that a defence lawyer has been provided for him. The defence lawyer asks for full details of the man's resistance activities so that he can better defend him. The main character immediately realises that the lawyer is working for the authorities and there solely to extract incriminating information. Noticeable too are the many references to Britain's role in supporting the Resistance - presumably an important part of the film's message.Overall the film quite slick, pacy and good humoured. Other propaganda elements are not so obvious although presumably the main character's bravery, spirit, wiliness along with his undoubted patriotism (like Petain, a hero of the Battle of Verdun in WW1, indeed known to Petain but having chosen resistance rather than collaboration) perhaps offered something of a role model for the audience. The key line must have been "The greatness of a country is measured by the spirit of its people". Given the reality of occupation and collaboration, "spirit" was one thing that nevertheless could remain undimmed, that national honour could still be fought for and could still be saved.Interestingly both films were small projects and that it was other directors who handled the now iconic wartime productions.

As a major Hitchcock fan, I was excited to get the chance to see this rarely-seen propaganda short that Hitchcock made in England in the French langauge about the French resistance. The results are far below Hitchcock's talents. The film is too dialogue heavy and convoluted. I can just barely tell you what happened in this film, and what I remember now, two minutes after finishing it, will be completely gone within a half an hour. It doesn't work as entertainment, and it certainly doesn't work as propaganda. Perhaps Hitchcock should have studied Eisenstein, who had the capability to churn out propaganda imbued with extraordinary artistry. Aventure Malgache was simply done too quickly and without enough thought. 5/10.